Current display of material in three-ring binders is generally limited to two pages across. This limits the amount of material that can be displayed. This can be a problem in fitness class plans, choreography, sheet music, chore charts (for parents, nannies, baby sitters), practice problems or drills (for teachers), business presentations, restaurant menus, recipes (for cooks and chefs), product/company literature displays and workplace procedures (for lean manufacturing). In these examples, a lot of information needs to be displayed at once and page turns aren't convenient.
During performances, practices, rehearsals, exercise classes (indoor or outdoor), workers performing a procedure, etc. the reference material is typically spread over more than two pages, requiring the leader or performer to stop what they are doing and turn pages as the performance, activity or class progresses. On-stage or performances in front of a group, this must be done seamlessly. However, unless a page turner is enlisted, the performance or class could experience a pause as a page is turned and the activity restarted. Also, if someone is executing a procedure or recipe, he or she may have to stop what he or she is doing, put down anything in his or her hands, turn the page, and then pick up where he or she left off. As an alternative, to fully display the information, multiple binders or large displays must be used.
In addition, if a stand or table is not available or convenient to the user, especially outdoors, there may be no place to display the pages. If a binder is used, something must be found to prop it up for easy reference.
And, once the performance, display or practice is completed, it may take a while to gather material, collapse the stands and depart.
Another shortcoming is if one is leading a class, stopping the interacting and cuing of participants while turning a page in a binder, which contains their choreographed routine, would be undesirable and might cause the class to lose its place and reduce the effectiveness of the instructor.
As an alternative to this, many fitness instructors or musicians memorize their routines. Experts in many fields tout this as the best way to lead a class or put on a performance. While memorizing a complete performance or class may be easy for some, many people are unable to do this effectively. This discourages them from entering an otherwise enjoyable and satisfying career. In addition, the class leader is working to remember the routine and choreography, and thus cannot focus on what is happening in the class and tailor the intensity of the workout to match the ability of the class. The instructor is less able to shout out words of encouragement to the class, resulting in a less fulfilling experience all around. In addition, memorizing the workouts does not encourage the routine to be varied much from class to class or even from month to month. Pages are often taped together onto a wall or mirror while the performer memorizes the routines. Often if they cannot memorize them, they may require assistance during the actual performance.
The exercise or dance instructors that rely on memorization to lead their class will invariably forget portions or lose their place, causing disruption in the class. And if one has trouble memorizing a routine but does take the time to memorize their class routine, they are then discouraged from varying the routine, which causes them to lose clients who would prefer a little variety. A further issue occurs when the instructor cannot afford the time to memorize, so he or she is discouraged from embarking on this or quitting once he tries to do it.
For dance routines, notes may be taped to the mirror during practice or performance. For exercise classes instructors may resort to taping multiple pages to the mirror in front of them, forcing them to arrive early to set up. In addition, this practice will often leave shreds of tape stuck all over the mirror, causing an unsightly mess.
For business presentations, several binders or even poster board must be used to display more than two pages, which makes breakdown more time consuming and complex.
For a musical performance, a page turner may be hired to turn the pages for the performer.
Background research discovery provides some background patent art in which attempts have been made to display several sheets at once, or employ an automatic page turner.
This can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 7,588,268 (Issued Sep. 15, 2009), for a sheet music holder that consists of two large clipboards, each holding three sheets across which are hinged together in the middle for easy folding of the holder, and are secured on the ends to keep the boards at a 90 degree angle to one another. The holder is then designed to sit on a raised surface for viewing and reference. Though the holder can display six sheets at once, it is large and cumbersome, which even when collapsed is still three sheets wide. At most it can display six sheets, and then must be resupplied in a time consuming manner to display another six pages, unlike the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,111 (issued May 19, 1992), the device is a hinged and collapsible music stand designed to hold four pages across and sit upon a stanchion, as current rigid music stands. It is similar to current music stands, with the exception that it is hinged to be collapsible. The stand can not only display four sheets at once but is also large and cumbersome, which even when collapsed is still two sheets wide. In addition, the device does not hold the sheets securely for easy transport.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,021 (issued Oct. 7, 1997) the device is a cardboard binder consisting of a vertical brad-held spine which displays two sheets at once, and a device to bind the pages from above in a horizontal fashion. The intended use is for displaying three sheets at once for courtroom or exhibition use. It does not lend itself very well to easily view more than three pages from a distance where one is not holding the binder. In addition, it is not freestanding.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,922 (issued Mar. 27, 1973) the device is a folding poster board roughly two sheets wide on which forms are attached on the left edge, designed to hold accounting forms. The device can display up to two sheets wide, but is strictly for the supporting pages two sheets wide for writing and is not freestanding, unlike the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,680 (issued Sep. 24, 1974) the device is a binder that consists of two three-ring binder units which are attached at the back and can slide opposite one another to display four sheets across. It however only displays four sheets and is not freestanding, unlike the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,479 (issued Nov. 12, 1985) the device is a freestanding easel binder but can display only two pages at a time, unlike the present invention, which can hold over five pages.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,821 (issued Oct. 26, 1982) the device is also a freestanding easel binder but can only display only two pages at a time, rather than the at least 5 pages of the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,979,814 (issued Nov. 6, 1934) the device is a freestanding binder designed to display several pages at once. The hinge is along the top, as are the binding rings, which can display as many pages across as is possible by the width of the device. As shown in the patent, the device is three pages wide, but the pages are staggered so that as one sheet is completed, it must be turned over the top to reveal the next. This device is neither very portable nor can it easily display more than three pages at once, unlike the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 1,557,697 (issued Mar. 23, 1926) the device is a freestanding binder designed to display several pages at once. The hinge is along the top, as are the binding rings, which can display only two pages at once, unlike the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,134 (issued Oct. 3, 2000) the device is a collapsible sheet support that is freestanding. Though highly portable, it can only display two sheets at once, and the sheets must be removed for transport, unlike the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,939,739 (issued May 10, 2011) the device is a mechanical page turner, which though may be the answer for some of the problems described above, does not allow for six pages to be scanned at once, unlike the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to display and manipulate multiple pages of printed material in a binder for ease of reading and referring to the material contained on multiple sheets without having to turn the page, especially where there is no stand on which to put the binder.
It is another object of the invention to easily turn pages and refer to a new set of pages. When a page is required to be turned, it is a simple task of releasing the page holder, pulling the page across and re-securing the page holder on the other side, revealing the back of one set of three pages, and the front of a new set of pages.
It is another object of the invention to display two sets of multiple sheets at once. For example each set of three sheets can be held together by a three sheet wide sheet protector, or other device securing the three sheets together.
It is another object of the invention to allow for a quick and easy way to break down and transport of multiple pages at once.
Thus, there exists a need for a binder-apparatus capable of displaying at least six pages simultaneously, while remaining easy to replace each of the pages in an expedient fashion during use.